Restrictions on Giving Blood

Tallie Nikitchyuk, Staff Writer

In the year 1983, amid the panic surrounding the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) epidemic, a major decision was made to ban gay men, or more specifically men who have had sexual relations with other men, from donating blood. The lifetime ban for men who have sex with other men, who are also known as MSM, was still in place until recently despite much opposition. In late December of 2014, the FDA announced that it would revise the ban from a lifetime deferral to a requirement of a year of abstinence from homosexual sex.

Some believe that MSM should still not be able to donate blood in order to make a better effort to prevent HIV infection from infiltrating donated blood. Their worries do not come without cause, because almost half of those infected with HIV are gay men, despite making up only 4% of the population.

“I’m on the fence between disagreeing and agreeing [with the ban] because I feel that everybody should be able to donate blood to save another life, but I also can see why they’re banned, because these men could have come in contact with HIV and/or AIDS. These diseases are transmitted through blood, so it could be dangerous,” said NHS freshman Zoe Beals, who recognizes the danger of HIV/AIDS.

The reason why many are cautious about HIV is because it is very hard to stay healthy when infected. While people can live with HIV and its final stage, AIDS, they must be very diligent and take very good care of themselves. Even then, there is still a high risk of it taking a turn for the worse. Back in the heart of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, HIV was treated somewhat like Ebola is treated today; victims were seen as taboo and everyone was terrified of catching it. If anything, it was treated worse, because the disease was spreading throughout America.

However, more and more people recently have changed their views on the ban, and are saying that preventing sexually active gay or bisexual men from donating blood is discriminatory. As technology evolves and ways of detecting blood transmitted illnesses have become more effective, is preventing HIV/AIDS infected blood from infiltrating the supply still an issue? And is getting access to more donated blood more important?

Banned4Life is a group founded by Blake Lynch and his partner, Brett Donnelly, to protest the ban on gay men from donating blood. It was started when Lynch went to donate blood and was turned down due to being gay. When he was called into a private room by a doctor after filling out a questionnaire, he learned the surprising news that he was not allowed to donate blood. "He asked me if I'd answered [the questionnaire] truthfully,'" Lynch says. "I told him I had. And then he explained the ban. I was shocked. I'm not a prostitute or a drug user -- I'm a healthy guy. As I like to tell people now, the H in HIV stands for 'Human' -- not 'Homosexual'."

Donnelly and Lynch have found through spreading awareness and protesting the ban that their biggest support has been found where they least expect it-- the blood banks themselves.

"At first we wanted to protest them until we realized they were actually on our side,” says Lynch.

Lifting the ban on gay or bisexual men from donating blood is also supported by Newtown High School students.

“The act of donating blood should be able to be done by any healthy person. I think the ban should be lifted. Not enough blood is donated as it is. Denying people of helping a worthy cause because of something as trivial as sexuality is stupid,” says freshman Megan Latte. Latte brings up another issue blood banks face, which is not having enough blood donated. In fact, according to the Red Cross, more than 41,000 blood donations are needed every day, and allowing gay men to donate will save lives.

“[The ban] should be lifted because everyone should have the right to donate blood to help others regardless of who they have sex with. A person is a person,” said freshman McKenzie Iazzetta.

While the ban for MSM to donate blood was put into place with good intentions, is it time to put it to rest? Many questions about modern technology, new issues, and the idea of equality have begun to bring up the validity of the ban and whether it is still relevant. While the recent revision is good progress, many are still upset with it, and Americans may expect to see changes in blood banks nationwide in 2015.

Photo Credit; www.slate.com